Brazilian Health Devices brings Brazilian expertise about women's health to Nigeria
Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in Nigeria. Every year, according to information from the WHO (World Health Organization), more than 14,000 new cases are diagnosed, with the death of around 8,000 women. Concerned about the situation, the Nigerian government is looking for alternatives to invest in prevention and treatment.
To this end, it has entered into a partnership with Brazilian Health Devices, a sector project implemented by ABIMO (Brazilian Medical, Dental and Laboratories Devices Manufacturers Association) together with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), and will host a team of Brazilian specialists who on October 9 – the opening date of Medic West Africa, West Africa's premier health care trade show - will lead the workshop "Woman's Health: Preventing and Treating Cervical Cancer."
This exchange of health care expertise between Brazil and Nigeria began to be designed in 2016 thanks to the participation of the Brazilian heath devices industry in Medic West Africa that year. Later, in 2017, Nigerian Health Minister Isaac Adewole visited the Brazilian pavilion at Arab Health, reinforcing the interest in expanding the relationship with Brazil. And in 2018, due to Apex-Brasil's Doing Business with Brazil initiative, a Nigerian delegation came to Hospitalar Trade Show in São Paulo for meetings with health equipment manufacturers, which led to an acceleration of the partnership between the two nations.
"The Federal Ministry of Health of Nigeria has always demonstrated an interest in joint projects that contribute to reduce female mortality due to cervical cancer. That's why, for the 2019 edition of Medic West Africa, we have scheduled a workshop that will bring a team specialized in the prevention and treatment of this pathology to the African country," says Rafael Cavalcante, ABIMO's market access coordinator, adding that the event's agenda includes an introduction to the topic, the presentation of techniques, products, and equipment, and training sessions for local doctors participating in the activity.
Working in partnership with the Barretos Cancer Hospital on a complete project to control and track cervical cancer, Deltronix see an opportunity in Nigeria to further expand its contributions to women's health worldwide. "We will bring this solution to Nigerian market that we have already put in place in other countries, such as Kenya. We hope the local Minister of Health can analyze and embrace our cause," says Luciano Rodrigues Grillo, foreign trade manager.
For Medpej, a Brazilian company that initiated its activities two decades ago with the manufacture of equipment especially geared toward the gynecological practice, Brazil has a vast amount of knowledge to export. "Our expertise in this segment is very large and we are able to assist the Nigerian government by offering high-tech equipment that, in the hands of local doctors, will find the perfect synergy to achieve results in Nigeria similar to those obtained in Brazil," says Edson Grisanti, responsible for the brand's imports and exports. The good results mentioned by Grisanti can be confirmed by a study recently released by the Barretos Cancer Hospital. Reflecting the extremely positive evolution of the country's health environment, the report points out that the mortality rate among Brazilian women for cervical cancer fell 34.88% in 14 years.
A Brazilian partner of the International Federation of Cervical Pathology & Colposcopy (IFCPC) and the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS), Loktal will give physicians participating in the event an opportunity to receive training on a virtual reality simulator, which, linked to an artificial cervix developed exclusively by the brand, allows a more practical view of the applicability of solutions. "We believe we will contribute to the success of this exchange by bringing to Nigeria 30 years of technology experience and knowledge in the field of lower genital tract pathology, along with innovative tools and solutions," Clovis Garcia says.
This sharing of knowledge that characterizes the activity is just one part of the list of responsibilities of the health care industry, says Felipe Donato of DFV. "We are responsible for pursuing innovation and quality with a focus on optimizing the work of professionals who save lives and improve patient health. All our efforts in product research and development, together with marketing and sales campaigns, only make sense if the ultimate goal is to apply those products to improve people's quality of life," he says. During the workshop, DFV, which is recognized for excellence in manufacturing colposcopes, will present image capture solutions for the purpose of generating reports and research materials.
Humanization - Through actions such as this in partnership with the government of Nigeria, the project goes beyond just trade, impacting aspects of global health. "In addition to helping us open new markets abroad, Brazilian Health Devices encourages us to participate in projects in the medical and hospital areas. We are aware that there is not only the commercial side, but also the exchange of experiences so that we can bring new techniques and knowledge to other nations. Activities that can result in very significant improvements in diagnoses and treatments worldwide," says Grisanti at Medpej.
According to Garcia, from Loktal, this incentive beyond trade also contributes to the consolidation of the Brazil brand on the international stage. "These actions promoted by Brazilian Health Devices are fundamental for us to effectively bring technologies and solutions to other countries. We are convinced that this project model can lead us to achieve greater goals, in addition to increasing the credibility of the Brazilian industry of health care articles and equipment," he concludes.
Betting on the success of the initiative, Donato from DFV reinforces the importance of Brazilian Health Devices in increasing the visibility of the industry. "With the project we gain extremely important support in expanding our horizons of action, reaching health professionals and, consequently, patients who would not have access to quality diagnostics and treatments if there was not all this internationalization work," he says.
The workshop "Woman's Health - Prevention and Treatment of Cervical Cancer" will take place on October 9th and will include the presence of four Brazilian companies: Deltronix, DFV, Medpej, and Loktal.
ABOUT BRAZILIAN HEALTH DEVICES The Brazilian Health Devices Sectoral Project, executed by ABIMO in partnership with Apex-Brasil, has a mission of promoting exports by the health care articles and equipment industries. Brazilian Health Devices is the brand that brings together the sector's export industries and represents them internationally.
ABOUT ABIMO ABIMO (Brazilian Medical, Dental and Laboratories Devices Manufacturers Association) is the organization representing the Brazilian health devices industry and seeks to promote the sustainable growth of the sector in national and international markets.
ABOUT APEX-BRASIL The mission of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) is to develop the competitiveness of Brazilian companies, promoting the internationalization of their businesses and attracting foreign direct investments. Apex-Brasil currently supports more than 15,000 companies from 80 productive sectors of the Brazilian economy, exporting to over 230 markets. The agency also coordinates efforts to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to the country.
Source: Medic West Africa
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